So, being a lame rag, reporting on a lame team, the Dallas Morning News doesn't really allow access without a subscription, but here is one and some nice shorties:

Tony Romo: 'I feel as though I let our team down' after 3 INT performanceDallas Cowboys shut out from playoffs once againStaff and wire reports

After throwing three interceptions in his latest make-or-break defeat, Tony Romo shuffled across a silent locker room, grimacing and looking at the floor.He dressed creakily. Merely putting on his dark socks appeared to be an ordeal.Now comes a tougher task for the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback: processing his performance in a season-ending 28-18 loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday night with the NFC East title on the line.

"I feel as though I let our team down," Romo said at his postgame news conference, his words deliberate, his stare blank.

"Your legacy will be written when you're done playing the game," said Romo, whose three interceptions matched his total from the previous eight games combined.

"It's disappointing not being able to get over that hump," he added, "but I also know that football is the ultimate team sport and I need to continue to improve, and our football team does, to get there."

Needing a victory over the rival Redskins (10-6) to reach the playoffs, the Cowboys (8-8 ) finished at .500 for the second season in a row. They'll miss the postseason for the third consecutive year.

And this is the third time in the past five years that Dallas lost its regular-season finale when a win would have allowed it to keep playing.

"We have a big challenge ahead of us. (The Redskins) are, of course, in the tournament, and we have to sit at home and think about how to get in the tournament. This is very disappointing. We have players that have fought hard all year, but it did not end up the way we wanted," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "And one of my jobs is to evaluate and analyze and make decisions in the offseason that can help us be in better shape."He can look at Washington to see how quickly things can change.

Rookies Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris needed only four months to give the Redskins their first division title since 1999.

Griffin, the Heisman Trophy winner drafted second overall, ran for 63 yards and a touchdown. Morris, the sixth-rounder from Florida Atlantic, ran for 200 yards and three TDs. He set the franchise single-season rushing record for the Redskins, who turned around the season behind their quarterback's talent and leadership to win seven straight games, becoming the first NFL team to make the playoffs after starting 3-6 since the 1996 Jacksonville Jaguars.

After the final whistle, team captain Griffin walked off the field with a big smile, holding up his left index finger in a No. 1 gesture. Washington, which set a franchise record with only 14 turnovers this season (zero on Sunday), will host Seattle next Sunday.

Romo, meanwhile, was intercepted on each of Dallas' first two possessions. His last turnover was the one that bothered him the most: A poor throw was picked off by Rob Jackson when the Cowboys had a chance to drive for a winning score in the final minutes.

"That'll eat at me for weeks now," Romo said.

He almost became the first Dallas quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, but his career is instead further tainted by late-season disappointments. He also had Week 17 losses to the Philadelphia Eagles (44-6) in 2008 and the New York Giants (31-14) last year, along with a 1-3 record in playoff games (who can forget the botched hold?).

"There's been a couple of these games towards the end of the year that are critical games and we haven't gotten it done as a football team — and Tony's certainly a part of that, but everybody's a part of that," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said.

On Sunday, Morris' 32-yard scamper gave the Redskins a 21-10 cushion with 10½ minutes left. Trying to play catch-up, Dallas pulled within three on a 10-yard TD pass to Kevin Ogletree and a 2-point conversion with 5:50 to play. But Morris' third touchdown, a 1-yard run with 1:09 left, sealed the outcome.

It didn't help matters for Dallas that receivers Dez Bryant (back) and Miles Austin (left ankle) got injured. Bryant, who Garrett said "really couldn't even walk," left after four catches for 71 yards.

"Missing those two guys is crucial," said Ogletree, who got a talking-to from Romo after the QB's first interception.

In the end, Dallas also was hurt by missing five injured starters on a defense that simply could not stop Morris.

But what will be remembered mostly will be the play of Romo, who completed 20 of 31 passes for 218 yards, often facing pressure from what Garrett described as the way the Redskins "just kind of rolodexed those blitzes through."

"We know Romo doesn't like pressure in his face, so that was our big thing," Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan said. "We had to get pressure up the middle. Not so much on the outside; keep him in the pocket. That's what we were able to do."

Notes: Cowboys KR-WR Dwayne Harris was on crutches after the game. Garrett said he had a lower leg injury. ... Dallas is 128-128 in regular-season games since the start of the 1997 season.

Cowboys’ only penalty of game a very costly one; Rob Ryan: ‘We had a questionable hit on the quarterback, whatever’By Brandon George / Reporter

LANDOVER, Md. – The Cowboys finished with a season-low one penalty at Washington on Sunday, but it was a costly one.

The Cowboys came into the game tied for the league lead with St. Louis with 116 penalties.

Ahead, 21-18, late in the fourth quarter, the Redskins faced third-and-7 on the Cowboys’ 12-yard line. Washington quarterback Robert Griffin threw an incomplete pass, but Cowboys defensive end Jason Hatcher was called for roughing the passer. Hatcher hit Griffin high after he threw the pass, drawing the penalty that gave the Redskins a first-and-goal at the 6. Three plays later, Alfred Morris scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run to put the game away at 28-18.

“We had a questionable hit on the quarterback, whatever,” Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said. “You know, hell, they were grabbing receivers all day, too, but that’s the way it is in this league. It was unfortunate we gave up that last touchdown. I would have liked to have seen our offense with the ball down by six and the chance to go win it.”

Jason Witten discusses the end of another season: ‘It was a heck of a year all the way around’By Rainer Sabin / Reporter

Cowboys tight end Jason Witten’s 10th season closed the same way the nine previous ones had ended: With a defeat.

“Just empty feeling in your stomach,” he said after Washington’s 28-18 victory over Dallas on Sunday. “Obviously you can’t describe it. You feel like you’re right there. You can’t seem to get over the hump. It’s going to have to take more. It’s just going to have to take more. We have good players. But it’s going to have to take more playing better and finding a way finish those games. It’s a tough league. It’s a bottom-line business and we just have to find a little more to go out there and execute and find ways to win those games.”

Witten was invited to his eighth Pro Bowl last week and finished 2012 with 110 catches, a new NFL single-season record for a tight end.

“It was a heck of a year all the way around,” Witten said. “Guys came to work and worked their tail off every day. We just came up short.”

Jerry Jones said he didn’t want to talk about coaching or personnel decisions after the Washington Redskins defeated the Cowboys 28-18 Sunday night, eliminating Dallas’ chances of winning the NFC East and making the playoffs.

And the Cowboys owner and general manager didn’t have a definitive answer when he was asked how close his 8-8 team is to being a playoff club. But Jones did say he would be immediately getting to work on the roster and structuring for the future.

“I’m impressed with the way the Redskins are put together across the board,” Jones said. “They’re going to be formidable as the Cowboys look to the future, and we have to look where we are within our division and we’ll look and see just exactly how to approach a team that has some of the players they’ve got and good coaching they’ve got.

“We’ve got a big challenge ahead of us. They’re of course in the tournament and we get to sit at home and start thinking about how to get in the tournament. This is very disappointing. We have players that also have fought hard all year, but it DID NOT get it done and one of my jobs is basically evaluate, analyze and make decisions in the off-season that can help us be in better shape when I’m standing here going into the playoffs.”

NFL Network analysts Marshall Faulk and ex-Cowboys Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin discussed the Cowboys’ loss to the Redskins Sunday night. Some highlights of the broadcast:Sanders: Tony Romo is known to start off games like that but we all thought, “OK, he's going to settle down and put the team in a situation where the team is going to win or lose. And, as the enormity of the game approaches, you feel it, man, and you shouldn't feel like that with an elite quarterback like Tony Romo. But, oh no, here it comes. And it happened. He did what Romo would do.Faulk: Tony is elite, but has he gotten over this, in these moments? It's the defining moment of games for the Cowboys. All the way back to that snap in Seattle, this is what's it’s been like for Tony Romo. They haven't escaped him. He hasn't gotten out of his own way to use his talent, and he has a lot of it, to do what he does in regular games.Irvin: Jerry Jones said it earlier, if you're not in the playoffs, it's not a successful season. I'm never going to say 8-8 is a success, not a guy who holds three rings. Playing hard is good. Winning is better. You watch all these guys, Robert Griffin III, Eli Manning, Michael Vick -- these are top quarterbacks, drafted in top spots, they know and feel like they belong in that situation. Tony Romo is the only undrafted QB in the East and sometimes, in those moments, he feels like, “I have to prove to everybody I belong here,” and tries to do so much and that's gets him into trouble.Faulk (on Cowboys having the 18th pick in the draft, should they keep Romo): If you're going to go get rid of a Tony Romo, you better have a direction you're going into. What Jerry Jones has to ask himself, at what point are these games going to stop being games that Romo has? … It’s hard to find a QB in this league, you watched Arizona juggle QBs.Sanders: (The Cowboys) have some of the best fans and some of the meanest fans. How many times are we going to sit here as fans and say, “here we go again?” ... I love to win at all costs. 1-6 in elimination games, that's telling me something is not getting better around here. The kind of person I am, I need to jump off and try to correct this thing. You can blame it on Jerry, but then you can't. If you blame it on Jerry, Jerry is getting the talent and the talent is good. There are some good pieces of the puzzle around there. You can blame it on Jason (Garrett) if you want to. When I looked there at the last drive, I didn't see Dez (Bryant) and (Miles) Austin, they were out. And I saw a half of defensive end DeMarcus Ware playing like he was injured and baffled all day with RGIII, so I can't put this one thing all on Tony. But Tony brings me to the same situation at the conclusion of every year. Take a picture, this date, and see if we're playing the same picture next year. We always think it's going to get better, but it's the same old same old.Irvin: RGIII threw nine completions, Tony Romo threw the ball 40 times. If the Cowboys are going to win, it's going to be through Tony Romo. It's not Tony Romo is the worst thing in the world. You gotta get someone to help him. There is nothing helping him. DeMarco Murray gave him a little spark, but he's not doing it consistently, and it's too much pressure on Tony Romo with his style of play to make plays consistently, it's not going to happen.

STAR-TELEGRAM/PAUL MOSELEYDallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo leaves the field after the Cowboys loss to the Redskins, ending the Cowboys 2012 season. The Dallas Cowboys lose to the Washington Redskins 28-18.

LANDOVER, Md. -- Bring it on. Bring on the Romo hate.

But that's what Tony does. That's what Tony did again Sunday night. He brings down the hate on himself.

Let another season end for the Dallas Cowboys. Also let another loud round of Romo howls begin after a win-to-get-in situation came to a disastrous conclusion on a cold evening down the road from old D.C.

Between a gimpy but game RG3 and his rookie sidekick, Alfred Morris, the Washington Redskins didn't exactly need much help in storming into the playoffs, via a 28-18 decision before 82,000-plus rejuvenated and giddy Skin-ettes.

Romo, however, was also a Redskins ally.

One. Two. Three. Interceptions.

And the third one? Oh, gawd. The third one.

With plenty of clock time remaining, and even a little momentum on his side, Tony put the finishing touches on the Washington victory by attempting to feather a fourth-quarter sideline throw to running back DeMarco Murray.

But it was more feathers than arm involved.

The coverage matchup was excellent for the Cowboys, with linebacker Rob Jackson on Murray, who was in the left flat near the sideline. Except with the slight underthrow, Jackson got to the ball, fell to the ground, and held on for the pick of the year in Washington.

What had been a slim 21-18 lead for the Redskins, and a bit of a stadium sweat suddenly prevalent at Fed-ExField, well...

The celebration was on again after the Jackson play. And again after his interception resulted in a short-field clinching touchdown for RG3 and the offense.

With Robert Griffin and with Morris, the Redskins are a franchise on the move up, and by winning their last seven games to close the regular season, they shockingly moved all the way up to an NFC East title and right into next week's playoffs. From 3-6 to 10-6. That's big-time.

Meanwhile...

The Cowboys continue to do what they do.

What they do is fail.

They fail, and fail, and fail.

The Cowboys are a franchise going nowhere.

They've been failing since 1996. The history of failure is well-documented. One playoff win, and still counting in 16 years.

On this night, they failed mainly because the quarterback made two stupid mistakes resulting in interceptions, and the other one was some kind of mixup between the quarterback and receiver Kevin Ogletree, killing at least a prime field-goal opportunity.

You know the story by now. Players and coaches come and go. Jerry Jones is the only constant in this sad, sad tale of woe. And, of course, Jerry is going nowhere. Same as his team. They go nowhere together, linked in failure.

The only ongoing debate of note is can the Cowboys win again -- win consistently enough to make the playoffs, and be a postseason threat -- with Romo at quarterback.

I always say ... yes.

But nights like this tell us -- actually, they scream at us -- no-no-no.

Nights like this, the no-no-no voices strongly prevailed.

But Romo, the same as Jerry, is going nowhere, at least until the Cowboys become realistic about making a true effort to draft and begin developing a young quarterback. And this NFL season, of all NFL seasons, tells us teams are winning and going to the playoffs with rookie QBs or young, developing QBs.

Coach Jason Garrett is also going nowhere, even with another 8-8 season on his ledger, because Jerry is convinced Garrett is the head coach who will someday soon make a difference.

Based on what was heard and said over the past month, these are supposed to be the good times at Valley Ranch, good times because Jerry thinks he has the head coach and the quarterback and the overall talent to bring the franchise back from the depths of mediocrity.

It's laughable, but true.

Yes, Mr. Jones was flashing some postgame locker-room anger on Sunday night, but, believe me, he'll get over it. By this morning, I'd bet, he'll be over it, despite Jerry stating up front after the game that he would not talk about the coaching situation.

But if Jerry is now remotely thinking about firing Red J, which he isn't, then the heavy lifting should have come in this area when a Sean Payton was still on the street, unsigned by the Saints. As of this past weekend, however, Payton re-upped with the Saints, apparently sensing that Jones was not interested in changing head coaches.

Obviously, the Cowboys' loss here shocked no one. This was not a real playoff team or a real divisional winner. Real divisional winners and real playoff teams don't lose last week at home to a down-and-out New Orleans outfit.

But the numbers and the tiebreakers told us that Sunday night was a showdown situation for the divisional title and a playoff berth.

One. Two. Three.

Those, however, were the only numbers that mattered in this loss. Three interceptions charged to the quarterback were the lowest of the lowlight moments for the Cowboys' offense.

It wasn't exactly a secret the Cowboys needed around 30 points to win here. Credit goes to the Redskins' defense for snuffing that goal, but that doesn't take the blame off the two guys most responsible for offensive production.

Of course, that's Romo, and that's the play-caller, Garrett.

But the Cowboys did what they do best.

They failed. They always fail, at least going on two decades, and counting.

Loss to Redskins more of same for Dallas CowboysBY CLARENCE E. HILL JR.

LANDOVER, Md. -- The seasons change.

Some of the names are different.

But the result remains the same for quarterback Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys.

Disappointment, mediocrity and ultimate failure.

It's no longer important that the Cowboys rallied from a 3-5 start to put themselves one win away from the NFC East title and their first playoff berth since 2009.

It matters not they overcame the loss of six starters on defense and endured the death of practice squad linebacker Jerry Brown.

It was all for naught after Romo threw three interceptions in a 28-18 loss Sunday to the upstart Washington Redskins and former Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III before a crowd of 82,845 at FedExField.

"It's very disappointing for our team," coach Jason Garrett said after coming out of an emotional postgame locker room. "You come up here with the intention of winning the game. At the end of the day, we didn't get the job done. We didn't get the job done."

For the second consecutive season and third time since 2008, the Cowboys (8-8 ) failed to deliver in a win-or-go-home battle for the division title and the playoffs.

In 2008 and 2011, the Cowboys failed on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants.

The Redskins won the NFC East title for the first time since 1999, thanks to the courageous play of the gimpy Griffin, who played despite a knee injury.

Running back Alfred Morris led the way for the Redskins with a monster game on the ground, totaling 200 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries against a depleted Cowboys defense.

The Cowboys are out of playoffs for the third consecutive year while adding more fuel to Romo's reputation of failing in big games.

The Cowboys are now 1-6 in win-or-go home games, including the playoffs since Romo became quarterback.

The much-maligned Romo took full responsibility after what proved to be another horrific ending.

"I feel like I let my teammates down," Romo said. "It's on me. It just hurts a lot right now and it's hard to think about and talk about."

Romo, who had just one interception in the past four games combined and just three over past seven, began the game with two interceptions on his first five throws.

The Cowboys were able to overcome that and the loss of receivers Dez Bryant and Miles Austin to injury as well as endure the big game for Morris to put themselves in contention to win the game late in the fourth quarter.

Trailing 21-10 and seemingly left for dead, they got back in the game thanks to a 39-yard punt return from Dwayne Harris.

Romo tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Ogletree and converted a 2-point conversion to Harris to make the score 21-18 with 5:50 left in the game.

The defense got a stop on the next series, courtesy of a sack by Anthony Spencer.

But any hopes of the Cowboys completing their sixth comeback win of the season were dashed when Romo tossed his third pick of the game.

A pass in the flat to running back DeMarco Murray was read perfectly by linebacker Rob Jackson, who peeled off his rush for the interception.

And now a team that entered the season talking about having a different outcome than the disappointments of the past and making a Super Bowl run for the first time since 1995 is again left wanting.

It was owner Jerry Jones who put the onus on the Cowboys to come into 2012 with a sense of urgency to make a Super Bowl run.

"As far as I'm concerned, we're as far away as you can measure, because we're at home and not in the tournament," Jones said. "We've got a big challenge ahead of us."

Romo and the Cowboys Choke; Redskins Take NFC East TitleDallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) is helped up by referee Walt Anderson (66) during the second half of play at FedEx Field in Landover, MD on Dec 30, 2012.

An epic battle in Washington, D.C. Two foes, long rivals in the annals of the National Football League, go head to head on the last day of the year to determine who reigns as NFC East Champions and who falls into 2012 obscurity. A cold and clear night in Ron Jon Stadium solidified Robert Griffin the Third (forever known as RGIII) as a winner, and placed undrafted Tony Romo as a gigantic loser.

Now, simply looking at this opening paragraph, one would think there is a huge body of work from each quarterback from which to draw such a dramatic conclusion. In today’s social media-based reality, one win or loss can doom a player, team or coach into a less than ideal nickname, meme or stereotype based on nothing more than the mood or snapshot of a single well-placed zinger.

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys are the product of the media, and the team’s owner would have it no other way. Romo does not go out of his way to be a public figure, and indeed is somewhat vanilla and boring in this era of end-zone dances and Victor Cruz-type silly flamboyance. Jason Garrett, the head coach, is about as exciting as Bill Belichick after taking a few shots of NyQuil and chasing it with a few double bourbons. DeMarcus Ware? The sack machine of the defense carries himself like a gentle giant, honoring the grit of his opponents more than his God-given gift of attacking the quarterback.

The Washington Redskins went from a joke in arguably the NFL’s toughest division to champions of the NFC East by savvy drafting and a focused game plan. Robert Griffin the Third’s skill doesn’t lie in his passing ability, nor his devastating footwork in planned or unplanned open field runs. The much maligned Kyle Shanahan, accused of being the benefactor of nepotism from his head coach father, learned to adapt his offense to RGIII rather than make the tried and true mistake of forcing an athlete to conform to a system to which they are less likely to succeed.

There is no better example of this type of narrow vision than in Carolina for the first half of the season, where Cam Newton was the square peg being forced into a round hole. This adaptation to the players and talent around him is what has made RGIII successful. Conversely, it is the lack of adaptation and seeming pig-headedness that has led the Dallas Cowboys to mediocrity.

The quarterback of the Cowboys is one of those positions that offers little in the way of reward, but much in the way of ruin. The position requires an acceptance of the title head of “America’s Team,” and all benefits and defects that accompany that title. From day one, you are the face of the team, thus you ARE the owner Jerry Jones by proxy. This fact is not lost on anyone, despite the spin and well-coiffed "interviews" on sports networks.

An RGIII campaign in Dallas would be quite different. Griffin would be locked into the offensive philosophy of Garrett, which seemingly hasn’t changed in years despite vast offensive line, running back and wide receiver changes. In Dallas, Jerry demands the head coach also be the offensive coordinator. Despite Jason Garrett being overwhelmed (and some would argue humiliated with some choices), Jones maintains Jason Garrett is the best person on the planet to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a Super Bowl win.

Think about that for a minute. Any owner would obviously seek out in their opinion the absolute best football mind and motivator to lead their team to victory. Of everyone available, Jones chose Jason Garrett as that leader. Two years into his guidance and philosophical imprint, Garrett’s leadership has only demonstrated clock mismanagement, a fundamental lack of awareness and woeful drafting for the future.

To counter the limp, vanilla head coach, Jones has employed Rob Ryan to run the youth-oriented defense. Football fans identify Ryan by his boisterous nature and hair, not by his defensive successes. Should any of those traits be sought after for defensive coordinator jobs, Ryan would be a shoo-in.

As it stands, Ryan’s tenure in Dallas has blossomed with boring, resulting in mediocrity and player confusion. The defense is laughable at creating turnovers and, over the last half of the season, has given up more yards per game than any other team. The defensive “guru” has taken his middle of the road results and applied them to a new generation. The Redskins have arguably less talent but are achieving more results.

This latest failure of the Cowboys in yet another pivotal game is not surprising to anyone who has watched the team with interest over the years. A decade of miserable drafting, coupled with coaching moves designed to complement an owner and clueless general manager rather than facilitate grit and success. Romo is merely a product of the Cowboys' machine, impulsive and stubborn to the point of failure.

Like Jerry Jones, this team is incapable of adapting on-the-fly, rather is stuck mired in a tired philosophy annoyingly aware of its position with flashes of competence, yet doomed to fall back into hopeful exhaustion year after year.

Romo and the Cowboys Choke; Redskins Take NFC East TitleDallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) is helped up by referee Walt Anderson (66) during the second half of play at FedEx Field in Landover, MD on Dec 30, 2012.

An epic battle in Washington, D.C. Two foes, long rivals in the annals of the National Football League, go head to head on the last day of the year to determine who reigns as NFC East Champions and who falls into 2012 obscurity. A cold and clear night in Ron Jon Stadium solidified Robert Griffin the Third (forever known as RGIII) as a winner, and placed undrafted Tony Romo as a gigantic loser.

Now, simply looking at this opening paragraph, one would think there is a huge body of work from each quarterback from which to draw such a dramatic conclusion. In today’s social media-based reality, one win or loss can doom a player, team or coach into a less than ideal nickname, meme or stereotype based on nothing more than the mood or snapshot of a single well-placed zinger.

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys are the product of the media, and the team’s owner would have it no other way. Romo does not go out of his way to be a public figure, and indeed is somewhat vanilla and boring in this era of end-zone dances and Victor Cruz-type silly flamboyance. Jason Garrett, the head coach, is about as exciting as Bill Belichick after taking a few shots of NyQuil and chasing it with a few double bourbons. DeMarcus Ware? The sack machine of the defense carries himself like a gentle giant, honoring the grit of his opponents more than his God-given gift of attacking the quarterback.

The Washington Redskins went from a joke in arguably the NFL’s toughest division to champions of the NFC East by savvy drafting and a focused game plan. Robert Griffin the Third’s skill doesn’t lie in his passing ability, nor his devastating footwork in planned or unplanned open field runs. The much maligned Kyle Shanahan, accused of being the benefactor of nepotism from his head coach father, learned to adapt his offense to RGIII rather than make the tried and true mistake of forcing an athlete to conform to a system to which they are less likely to succeed.

There is no better example of this type of narrow vision than in Carolina for the first half of the season, where Cam Newton was the square peg being forced into a round hole. This adaptation to the players and talent around him is what has made RGIII successful. Conversely, it is the lack of adaptation and seeming pig-headedness that has led the Dallas Cowboys to mediocrity.

The quarterback of the Cowboys is one of those positions that offers little in the way of reward, but much in the way of ruin. The position requires an acceptance of the title head of “America’s Team,” and all benefits and defects that accompany that title. From day one, you are the face of the team, thus you ARE the owner Jerry Jones by proxy. This fact is not lost on anyone, despite the spin and well-coiffed "interviews" on sports networks.

An RGIII campaign in Dallas would be quite different. Griffin would be locked into the offensive philosophy of Garrett, which seemingly hasn’t changed in years despite vast offensive line, running back and wide receiver changes. In Dallas, Jerry demands the head coach also be the offensive coordinator. Despite Jason Garrett being overwhelmed (and some would argue humiliated with some choices), Jones maintains Jason Garrett is the best person on the planet to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a Super Bowl win.

Think about that for a minute. Any owner would obviously seek out in their opinion the absolute best football mind and motivator to lead their team to victory. Of everyone available, Jones chose Jason Garrett as that leader. Two years into his guidance and philosophical imprint, Garrett’s leadership has only demonstrated clock mismanagement, a fundamental lack of awareness and woeful drafting for the future.

To counter the limp, vanilla head coach, Jones has employed Rob Ryan to run the youth-oriented defense. Football fans identify Ryan by his boisterous nature and hair, not by his defensive successes. Should any of those traits be sought after for defensive coordinator jobs, Ryan would be a shoo-in.

As it stands, Ryan’s tenure in Dallas has blossomed with boring, resulting in mediocrity and player confusion. The defense is laughable at creating turnovers and, over the last half of the season, has given up more yards per game than any other team. The defensive “guru” has taken his middle of the road results and applied them to a new generation. The Redskins have arguably less talent but are achieving more results.

This latest failure of the Cowboys in yet another pivotal game is not surprising to anyone who has watched the team with interest over the years. A decade of miserable drafting, coupled with coaching moves designed to complement an owner and clueless general manager rather than facilitate grit and success. Romo is merely a product of the Cowboys' machine, impulsive and stubborn to the point of failure.

Like Jerry Jones, this team is incapable of adapting on-the-fly, rather is stuck mired in a tired philosophy annoyingly aware of its position with flashes of competence, yet doomed to fall back into hopeful exhaustion year after year.